1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a rotary internal combustion engine having at least one but preferably a plurality of two operating chambers, each comprising an interior toroidal path of travel along which an interactive piston assembly travels. Each interactive piston assembly comprises a pair of first pistons and a pair of second pistons concurrently movable along the corresponding toroidal path of travel, wherein the pair of first pistons is connected in driving relation to a power take-off. The pair of second pistons is periodically positionable in driving relation to the first pair of pistons along the corresponding toroidal path of travel resulting in a driving, forced travel of the pair of first pistons and driving rotation of the power take-off.
2. Description of the Related Art
Rotary internal combustion (I.C.) engines have been known and utilized commercially for many years. One typical application of the rotary I.C. engine is the powering of automobiles and other motorized vehicles. Perhaps the best known and most extensively developed rotary engine is the Wankel engine. The Wankel engine, as well as numerous other rotary engines, despite years of attempted refinement and improvement, suffer from common and well recognized problems rendering rotary engines generally inefficient and accordingly undesirable from a commercial and/or practical standpoint.
More specifically, problems and disadvantages associated with rotary engines include a combustion/expansion chamber structured to include a cross-sectional area which broadens as the power stroke of the rotary piston advances. This in turn allows gases to expand radially into a space where they do not effectively accomplish mechanical work. In addition, many, if not most of the known or conventionally designed rotary engines require pre-compressed fuel resulting in accompanying losses of energy, especially through the loss of heat. Attempts to overcome problems of the type set forth above have resulted in sophisticated and somewhat complicated sealing assemblies cooperatively structured with a rotating piston to overcome significant combustion pressures in order to maintain adequate sealing contact with the internal surfaces of the rotary cylinder. However, to date it is questionable whether any known sealing assembly specifically designed and structured for operation in a rotary engine accomplishes satisfactory sealing to the point where known and recognized inefficiencies of rotary engines are overcome.
By way of example, the Wankel engine compresses its own fuel and suffers from inadequate sealing, short operative life of the seals, the existence of friction between the seals and the cylinder and between the rotor and end walls. In addition to such disadvantages, the Wankel engine, as well as attempted modifications thereof, encounters problems associated with loss of energy due to radial broadening of the expansion chamber. This is believed to be due, at least in part, to the shape of the Wankel expansion chamber in relation to its combustion chamber and to the rotary, triangularly configured piston that is characteristic of the Wankel engine.
Therefore, there is a long standing and well recognized need for the development of a rotary type internal combustion engine which overcomes the existing disadvantages and problems generally associated with known or conventional rotary engines. In addition, any proposed rotary I.C. engine, once developed, should preferably incorporate unique design features allowing for the elimination or significant reduction of the complex sealing assemblies, as well as a variety of other structural components normally associated with rotary I.C. engines. Elimination of such working components may best facilitate the ability of the resulting rotary engine to favorably compete with the prolific use of the reciprocating piston I.C. engine. Such unique structural and operational design would preferably call for the elimination of a single rotary piston of triangular or other appropriate configuration structured to be operative within and at least partially sealingly engage the interior surfaces of a combustion/expansion chamber. Moreover, the structure, configuration, dimensioning and design of one or more operating chambers associated with a proposed and preferred rotary engine should be clearly distinguishable from the well known Wankel engine or various attempted modifications thereof. Further, the elimination of a single rotary piston would allow for a vastly improved piston assembly clearly distinguishable in both structure and operation from the single rotary piston of the type generally described above and commonly associated with Wankel-type rotary engines. Finally, the performance characteristics of a newly proposed and preferred rotary I.C. engine should demonstrate sufficient efficiency over an extended operable life to favorably compete on a commercial basis with all types of power plants structured for use in combination with motorized vehicles. Such an increase in efficiency and durability would be at least partially attributable to the elimination or significantly reduced reliance on common operative components such as, but not limited to, crank shafts, connecting rod shafts, rocker arms, valves, valve lifters, pushrods, connecting assemblies, gaskets, oil pumps, etc.